Time to Reconsider
by Person4
Summary: Mr. Green knew before he even left Monster Island that he wouldn't have an easy time grabbing the attention of the Powerpuff Girls.  Written for the PPG Hub monthly drabble contest.


All three of his elder siblings had attacked Townsville before and come back with the injuries that proved their strength and bravery to everyone on Monster Island. Before them, his mother had been one of the very first to attack during the girls' early days. And so everyone expected him to follow in their footsteps and return triumphant.

He was the only one who seemed to realize it would certainly be more difficult for him than it had been for any of them. For one thing, he was only the height of a fairly tall human, where the smallest of his siblings could at least tower over the houses in the suburbs. They'd all gotten the attention of the Powerpuff Girls within minutes. He'd been in Townsville for three months and they'd flown right over him without even noticing that he was there.

But his family didn't seem to think that would be a problem. After all, he was the smart one in his family. "You might not be as big or as brawny as your brothers and sister, but with your brain I know you'll be able to lure them into a trap that will leave everyone on the island cheering," his mother had told him before he left. Then his sister had added that he just needed to look at their archenemy to know what a difference a brain made; Mojo Jojo was smaller than he was! And his older brother pointed out that he had an advantage that they hadn't; he'd lived among humans before when he'd chosen to go off to school, so he knew more about how to get them to react the way he wanted them to.

They didn't understand that being clever alone didn't mean that he could do that sort of thing. Even if he was smart, it wasn't with a _sinister_ intelligence. He had a degree in Music History, for goodness sake, not in Mad Science. He could think up possible traps as a type of mental puzzle, but actually putting them into motion? No. Even if he could bring himself to fight an adult, which if he was honest with himself he knew was unlikely, he'd never be able to attack _five-year-olds_. It didn't matter that he knew they'd be able to trounce him without even breaking a sweat if he tried.

And that was the biggest problem of all. He _liked_ children. He liked seeing them happy, liked watching them try to figure out how the world worked, liked seeing hints in their personalities towards the adults they would one day become, and that was simply not monstrous. Not when he was just as fond of human children as he was of young monsters.

Even so, it took him all of those three months to finally admit that it really would never happen. And admitting that also meant admitting that he would never return to Monster Island.

He could-at least he assumed that he could, but no one had actually come back without even trying before for him to know for sure-although it would mean being in disgrace. But he wouldn't be the first member of his family to come back without putting up a good fight. He wouldn't disappoint everyone who'd believed in him. They'd miss him, but as long as he kept sending letters back with the other monsters who came from the island to let them know he was safe they'd be happier assuming that he was lurking somewhere putting a long and intricate plan of attack together.

And as soon as he'd decided on that he realized that he didn't actually _want_ to return. There was so much more that he could do living among humans; his degree might not be the most useful in the world, but it was worse in a place where most inhabitants were too large to handle instruments and so cared little for music. And it really didn't take him long at all to find and apply for a job that he knew he'd be interested in. One that even seemed fitting, given the reason he was looking for a way to make a living in Townsville.

When his resume lead to an interview he made sure to arrive promptly, wearing his best cape and with his horns buffed to a high shine. The receptionist didn't even seem aware of his presence when he arrived, busy with a game she was playing on her computer. He cleared his throat, and when that failed to get her attention said, "Excuse me, Miss, I have an interview at four about an empty substitute teaching position?"

"We're sorry, the Superintendent's schedule has been running a little late today," she said in a bored drone, her eyes slowly drifting over to him. Any other information she would have passed on was lost then, since as soon as she saw him her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened until they looked like she was trying to impersonate a Powerpuff Girl.

He did his best to offer her a reassuring smile. "Well then, I'll just sit down and wait. Ah, how long do you think he'll be?"

It seemed at first that she wouldn't respond at all, then her mouth moved silently for a long moment before she finally managed to spit out, "N-no, no, forget what I just said! Wait just one second." She picked up her phone and pounded a button then said in a rush, "Superintendent Redding, your four-o'clock is here and I think you really, really, should see him right away." When she hung up she plastered a fake-looking smile onto her face and said, "The Superintendent will see you now, Mr..."

"Mr. Green," he said, walking past her desk towards the office door, but remembering to add a "Thank you, Miss" before he entered.

Sometimes being a monster did have its advantages. 


End file.
